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Pawnted Feb. 7,"|899. w. E. PAGE."

SIGN.

(Application led. In. 24, 1898-.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLIAM E. PAGE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,949, dated February 7, 1899.

Application filed March 241 1 3 9 3- To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. PAGE, a citizen of'the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angelesv and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Signs, of which th following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to streetsigns; but it is adapted for house-signs and for signs for various other purposes.

Street-signs in large cities are particularly subject to the attacks of small boys, and a sign which is capable of mutilation or destruction very soon is in such a condition as to render it of little use.

The particular object of my invention is to produce a sign which will be practically indestructible, will bedistinct and easily read, and one which may be coated with a luminous preparation and such preparation hermetically protocted from the influence of the atmosphere and weather, so as to thereby preserve its luminous qualities for an indefinite period of time.

' plate.

My invention comprises the various features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, whereby I am enabled to produce a sign of this character at slight cost, but of highly artistic and finished appearance.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure l is a perspective view of a streetsign embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmental view of the same, having portions broken away to reveal the construction. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of my improved sign, showing the arrangement of parts before the overturned edges of the stencil-sheet are clamped downward upon the edges of the body-plate. Fig. liis a cross-section of the same after the parts are clamped together.

In the drawings, A represents the body- This body-plate is preferably coated with a luminous preparation, (indicated by A' 3) but it may be covered with enamel orm ay be made of ametal of a color dierent from the color of the stencil-sheet, so that that portion of the body-plate which shows through the stenciled letters will contrast with the stencilsheet.

B is the stencil-sheet, which is provided Serial No. 674,998. (No model.)

with the stencil-letters B', cut through the sheet, and has two of its top and bottom edges b b overturned, as clearly shown in the drawings.

In order that the sign may be adapted to be seen plainly at night as well as in the daytime, I prefer to coat the body-plate with a luminous preparation A'. Thus when the body-plate is arranged behind the stencilsheet the luminous preparation appears through the stencil-letters and in the night glow so brightly as to be plainly read even at a considerable distance. yIn order to prevent deterioration of the luminous paint or preparation, I protect such preparation by arrangingin front of ita transparent protecting sheet or layer C.

I am aware that protecting the luminous preparation bya sheet of glass is not new, and I lay no claim to such construction herein, since glass may be easily broken and cannot be successfully used in the construction which I employ, and since the parts are clamped together under a very heavy pressure, which would cause the glass plate to become broken if subjected thereto. In order to overcome this vital objection, I use celluloid for this purpose, since it is not easily broken and is practically indestructible by the elements. In order that the luminous preparation may be protected to the highest degree, I attach this transparent sheet 'to the face of the bodyplate by a narrow strip or layer of white lead or other cementing material (indicated by C) applied around the edges of the body-plate, care being taken that the cementing material does not cover any portion of the luminous preparation which should appear through the stencil-letters. White lead or other durable cementing material is also preferably placed' in the grooves b formed by the overturned edges of the stencil-sheet, so that when the bodyplate,with its superimposed transparent layer, is inserted into place and the oveturned edges of the stencil-sheet are clamped firmly down thereupon the material will hermetically close the grooves and any space which might otherwise exist between the edge of the body-plate and the walls of the groove. By

turning over the top edge of the sign a perfect closure is formed which prevents the entrance of dew or rain between the body-plate IOO and the transparent sheet, while the cement which fills the lower groove forms a hermetical closure at the bottom of the sign. Even without the cement the side edges of the celluloid are so firmly clamped between the stencil-sheet and the body-plate as to form a joint which is practically water-tight. This construction insures that neither air nor moisture can gain entrance between the transparent protecting-layer and the face of the body-plate,and thereby the luminous preparation is protected, so that it will maintain its luminous qualities for an indefinite length of time.

In practice I propose to make the bodyplate of sheet metal, and the stencil-plate is also made of sheet-steel and is preferably copper-plated, so as to resist the action of the elements. The sign is secured toa post,wall, or other support by nails or screws passing through the perforations B, arranged in ears 13', projecting from the ends of the stencilsheet, and when once placed in position cannot be defaced nor destroyed by any of the means ordinarily used in destroying signs.

lVhen the turned-over edges are clamped down upon the body-plate and the plate ot' cell'uloid7 it is impossible for any one to remove the body-plate without the use of special tools for unclam ping the edges of the stencilsheet therefrom. Thus when the sign is secured to a post or in an elevated position, as is customary, it cannot be injured by boys throwing stones at it, since the stencil-sheet protects the sheet of celluoid, and a blow from a rock will not cause the celluoid to break, as it would a sheet of glass.

New, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isr 1. A sign comprising a body-plate coated with a luminous preparation; a sheet of transparent llexible material covering the bodyplate and having its edges hermetieally secured thereto; a stencil-sheet arranged covering the sheet of transparent exible material and having its top and bottom edges turned over and clamped upon the bodyplate.

2. A sign comprising a body-plate coated with a luminous material; a protecting-layer of transparent material arranged upon the face of the body-plate and cemented thereto;

a stencil-sheet having turned-over edges clamped upon the body-plate, and having the grooves formed by its turned-over edges filled with a suitable cement.

WILLIAM E. PAGE.

Witnesses: v

ALFRED I. TowNsEND, JAMES R. TowNsEND. 

